


Shelter

by LonelySaturn966



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dreams, Eventual Crossover, Eventual Romance, F/M, I honestly have a huge story for this, I'll try..., Maybe - Freeform, Might branch out into different stories, My First Fanfic, Nightmares, Original Character(s), Romance, Slow Burn, but it might be too complex for me to write out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 06:50:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19388743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonelySaturn966/pseuds/LonelySaturn966
Summary: Long before the Autobots land on the Earth's surface and make contact with their human companions, Ratchet begins to have odd visions in his sleep of a small girl with pink hair. As time passes, their connection beyond the dreams begins to grow, but with this growing connection comes a rising realization for Ratchet. There is more to this girl, and her life, than meets the eye.





	Shelter

**Author's Note:**

> ***Comments and criticism are encouraged!***   
> Hey! Just as a for-warning, this is the first fic I've written since I was about 12. This is by no means going to be a master piece, but I've had the idea for this buzzing in my head for a while. I make no guarantees that this fic will get finish in a timely fashion or at all. I do hope you enjoy what does get published. Thank you!  
> ***Comments and criticism are encouraged!***

Shelter

Chapter 1

To there and back again

It is so cold. Finally free from there, but at what cost. There, I was god over my own world and now… now I can only watch my old world burn for the rest of this short life. At least, I won’t be alone anymore. I can finally be at peace. I’m sorry Papa.

***

Proper recharges were becoming more scarce in recent orns. Most were filled with the faces of fallen mechs and femmes. Lives he couldn’t save, friend who died to protect him, all blurred to the point of confusion, until an unauthorized online would wake him with a jolting force. Most recharge periods, he would rise halfway through and spent the rest of the night tinkering with a project until the others came online. This was different. He had just finished a meeting with Optimus and their team to begin moving on Decagon, he dismissed himself to his berthroom for another rest cycle of fitful recharge. Instead of faceplates frozen in eternal pain and nashed dente this recharge, he saw only darkness. When he felt his optics online, he found only a white space going on for what seemed like forever. For a moment the world froze, had his spark given out in the middle of a recharge? It couldn’t have! Optimus and the team needed every medic they could get their servos on! His panic was quickly dulled as his spark began to pulse frantically.

“No.” His voice echoed almost endlessly into the white void. He was still online, but then, where was he? Turning his body and looking about his surroundings yielded nothing, only more open space. The only thing that seemed logical at this point was to see if this place had an end, or at least something less off putting as this neverending blank canvas. Returning to what he presumed was the direction he started in (awful hard to tell in a blank void) and started walking. It felt like he had been walking for about 15 to 20 klicks when his audios picked up on a sound. It was faint, but it was at least it was something. Continuing his march forward, the sound became clearer. It was the cries of a femme, and a young one at that. They seemed to be calling out for someone. What was odd was that the voice was loud enough to hear, yet the femme could still not be seen. Looking to the horizon, there should have been some sort of sign of her. Yet… There! Sticking out on the furthest point he could see, there was a dot of color. A dark pink dot sticking out like a beacon. It was getting bigger as the mech approached and the voice becoming louder as he moved toward it, but even with the void as a background, he could see there was something off. The colored spot was too small to be a youngling or maybe even a minicon. Their cries had died down into small hicks and sniffles, which sounded quite gross to the mech, and as the distance closed he could see it was shuttering. “Hello?” The mech’s voice sounding unsure even to himself. The creatures head whipped around with a flurry of long pink fur and a startled hick-up, staring at him for a brief moment.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Its voice was quiet and cracking, but was filled with relief. The small femme deflated with an almost dramatic exvent. “Wait! Oh shoot, was this a test?! Crap! Should I have been trying to escape or keep my cool? Don’t tell them I failed, I just need another chance, promise.” Just as quickly as the… thing calmed down it was yapping away, asking nonsensical questions as it frantically dried its cheeks. They abruptly stopped after a moment as the creature looked up quizzically. “Umm, actually, where are we and who are you?”

“I could ask you the same thing small one.” The mech replied as he knelt to get somewhat closer to this pink things height. “Also ‘what’ are you?” It wouldn’t be able to understand cybertronian, but his curiosity got th-.

“Well, rude. I mean at least I have the decency to ask your name before getting into the whole ‘what’ thing.” The creature retorted as it rested its facial-thing (?) on its servo (???) looking up at his optics. “How are you understanding me- understanding cybertronian?! You’re organic, you shouldn’t be able to talk to me! What are you??” This wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. All other creature that Cybertron had come in contact with were either non sentient or didn’t care to learn cybertronian. They always did the translations and he hadn’t even turned on his translator yet.

“What are you talking about? You’re the one talking in Japanese. And you still haven’t answered any of my questions!” The pink furball yelled back up at him in frustration. Grasping at her face and taking a deep intake she looked back up to him and spoke calmly. “Okay, look, something is going on and clearly we’re both confused. We need to figure some things out, okay?” Looking up at him for approval.

“Okay, fine. I don’t know what information you’ll be able to give me, but you are correct things do need to be figured out.” The mech took a look back out into the white plane behind him, hoping there would be a door or perhaps one of his more annoying comrades ready to shout ‘gotcha’, before turning back to the little thing.

“Wow, real charmer you are huh? Do-do you know who I am, maybe where we are? Do you know anything about me?” Fiddling with her servos as she flicked her optics from him to the floor.

“No, I have no memory of how I got here, nor do I who anything about who or what ‘you’ might be.” His voice straining, he lifts a servo to his mouthplating in a contemplating gesture. “You clearly don’t know anything about me yet, you can understand me. Do you know what I am?”

“No, I mean you look like a giant robot,” the mech scoffs over her, “but you are clearly are sentient, so honestly I have no idea. I’ve seen weirder.” Sticking her glossa out at him for the interruption. “Alright smarty circuits, tell me about yourself. Who and what are you?”

He paused for a moment. Could this be a trap? Could the decepticons be behind this? Using this creature to bait him. No. They would not see use in such a small, unprotected creature. Besides, what could this fluffy thing do to hurt him?

“My designation is Ratchet, I am what is known as a Cybertronian. We are a race of autonomous robotic organisms. I am a medic by trade. And you?”

“Okay, my name Rin, I’m a human. I’m an… I guess organic carbon based life form? At least, that’s the best way I can explain it. I’m training to join a group that... assists those in need of special help. Nice to meet you Ratchet” The human raised her small servo to him in some form of greeting. He reflected the gesture reaching carefully down to her. “It is... interesting to meet your acquaintance as well R-”

***

“Rin…” Ratchet lerches off his berth at the sound of his door being pounded on and the voice of Optimus calling to him. The remnants of his voice bridging his resting world to the waking. He had recharged past his regular groons. His chassis felt rested and, he was utterly confused.

***

The teasing about recharging late didn't stop till late into the solar cycle, but honestly Ratchet barely noticed. What was that? He has never had recharge visions so vivid before. He could feel the ground beneath his peds, hear the creature, human's, voice. The entire thing was as clear in his mind as if he was fully online. Normally after waking from recharge he would only remember bits and pieces of his encounters. This was different.

And it had been a long time since he had fully recharged. Even before the war, the long periods of study for his field and odd groons needed for his profession made him lose recharge time. He had stopped setting alarms because he never needed them.

He couldn't even go to Optimus about this odd occurrence. He was busy making preparation, so was Ratchet, but not so much that he couldn't ponder his vision through the rest of the solar cycle. As the preparations were coming close to finished and Ratchet was finishing a look through of a data pad for medical supplies, he felt a servo rest on his chassis.

“Dear friend, you seemed out of sorts since your late start. Is there something that bothers you about our plan?” Optimus took the data pad from Ratchet's servos and placed it to the side on a box. Ratchet was good at hiding his problems, but something about Optimus made him skilled at reading others.

“No, sir. I have simply been busy, just as you have.” The orange mech made a grab for the data pad before Optimus lifted it up once more, placing it under his arm.

“It is more than that, you not only recharged later than Bumblebee, not that it is a negative occurrence, but you also seem to have something on your mind. I greatly value your wisdom and your well being Ratchet. If there is something you wish to tell me, please do.” Optimus finished with a firm hand placed comfortingly on Ratchet. After a moment of hesitance, Ratchet spoke in an unsure tone.

“It was merely an odd recharge vision. Though, if I may ask you Optimus, you were once a archivist; did you ever read of Cybertronians coming in contact with sentient, carbon based, lifeforms who could understand us?” He tried to make his expression difficult to read, but he had a feeling he was failing. He had to know, was there truly a creature like the one he met out there. Did his mind make all of it up?

“Carbon based, yes, but sentient and knowing of Cybertron? No, not that I am aware of. Not many alien sentient creatures have been found in Cybertron's history. Why do you ask, friend?” Ratchet was unsure how that information made him feel.

“Merely curiosity sir. Our mechs are going to have to start searching further from Cybertron if this war continues and I wondered if there was such a thing, to our knowledge, out there.” He attempted to justify the odd question with mixed results. He couldn't keep optic contact with Optimus. It felt like he was an open book.

“Alright Ratchet, if that it truly all,” placing the data pad back into his servos, “then I will let you finish your work. But please, remember you can rely on me. And I hope you continue having more restful nights, if anyone needs them, it is you.” The bulky blue mech gave a soft smile and walked past his friend. Ratchet wasn't sure if he felt the same way about his newly restful recharges. He could worry about that later. Right now, he had work to do.

Despite his distracted mind, Ratchet found that he had gotten through a good amount of work. His mind felt clear, organized, and more sharp then it had in some time. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. There wasn't much of a choice in the matter though. It was time to recharge again and though he wanted to attempt a no recharge cycle, he knew he was pushing the age when that was no longer acceptable to his chassis. He needed at least the little bit of recharge he normally got to even function. So, he rested himself on his berth and allowed recharge to overtake him.

***

Back to the white void it was. Ratchet looked down at his servos. They didn't look like they did in his normal recharge visions, dark, blurred in forgotten motions, and bloody. They looked normal, defined, and clean. He reached up to his face plates and gave a pinch. He couldn't feel the pain he would expect, but he could feel both his hand and his plates. It was an odd sensation.

“Well, hello again.” A singsong voice called from beside him. Looking down he saw the little human next to him rocking on her peds.

“Looks like that wasn't a one time occurrence. Great.” Rolling his optics, Ratchet decided to sit down on his aft this time bringing his face plates down to a bit above her head. “Do you have any idea why this keeps happening? If you're not just a glitch in my mind.”

“Not a clue Doctor roboto. Just went to sleep again and ended up here, is that the same for you? Also, how come I'm the hallucination? You could be one for all I know.” Rin plopped down into a seated position and pointed up at Ratchet with an accusatory poke.

“Fair enough, and if you mean going unconscious for the sake of recharge then, yes. That is how I get here as well.” the large mech finished before perking in surprise. “What did you call me?”

“Doctor roboto. You know, doctor and robot. Heh. I still remember your name if you're offended by me forgetting, Ratchet.” Her laugh almost sounded like a cough. It was forced and nervous.

“No, I just don't like people playing with my name, I'm a professional physician after all.” The medics glare seemed to bounce right off of Rin after his explanation was through.

“Oh, alright 'Ratchet’, if you gotta do that whole ‘mightier thou’ thing, sure.” Now it was her turn to roll optics with the addition of finger quotes. This was going great. “Now that we have that settled, what do you think we should do, oh wise Doc called Ratchet.”

“I couldn’t say small human. This vision world is just as odd to me as it is to you.” It was almost hard to look away from the pink fuzzball with the endless void around them. She was like an anchor to keep his optics focused. “I’d say we should look around, but I’m not too eager to find another small, talkative, fuzzball. Besides when I tried that last time this place didn’t show much sign of ending.”

“Fuzzball? I just have longer hair than most.” She blushed a little as she brushed her servo through her hair till it met with the floor and pooled some. “Same here though. I walked for some time before you found me. I wonder if this place is like some kind of big lucid dream?”

“What is that?”

“It’s a, what did you call it? Vision, a vision you can control. Humans call visions, dreams. Sometimes, we have dreams that we know are dreams and we can control how they go.” Rin explained while trying to gesture with her tiny servos. “Here, let me try. My imagination is a little rusty, but I can give it a go and try to make something.” So, she stood and turned to face the whiteness behind her. Lifting her servos and spreading them. There was a pause.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do small one, but-” With a flash of pink light and pixelated blur a small patch of green appeared not far from Rin. It was made of small green plants and spots of white plants too small for him to really make out.

“Cool, I mean it’s kinda small, but I did it. Wait, hold on, does that mean you’re just a dream?” She looked almost… sad.

“Not if I have anything to say about it. Let me try.” Raising a servo, Ratchet though of a familiar tool from his medic bag and closed his optics. Another flash, this time a warm orange hue, caused him to online his optics. Floating in front of him, just out of his reach, was his hand held welding tool. “Well, looks like it works for me too.”

“Okay then, which one of us is real?” She looked between their two creations and then down in thought. “Got it! So if this is a lucid dream we should be able to control everything around us. Including each other so whoever can make the other disappear is real!” The large mech understood the pink creatures logic, but to even think that he was just a figment of the imagination made him a little nervous. But he nodded. “Okay, on the count of three both of us imagine that we are alone or that the other is gone.”

“Easy enough, I’ve wanted that for some time now.”

“Shut up Docbot. Okay, one, two, three.” They both shut there optics.

“...”

“...” 

“You still there Doctor roboto?”

“Stop calling me that!” Ratchet was just about done with this whole ordeal. Having vivid recharge visions that he can yet, can’t control, stuck with a insignificant creature who was slowly getting on his nerves. “Well, that did a lot of good. I know about the same amount about this as I did before. Only now, I can fix the place up if I like.” Gruffly sighing, he ran his servos over his faceplates.

“Simmer down Ratchet, this will probably just take some time to figure out, if it keeps happening at all. Maybe this is just some freak accident? I hear about weird stuff all the time from my higher ups.” Rin walked closer to Ratchet before tentatively patting his stabilizing servo. Ratchet glanced down at her. She almost reminded him of Optimus when his softer side showed.

“True, this can’t keep happening forever.” He exvented. “Who are these higher ups you speak of. You said you worked with a group before.” It would do him no good to get frustrated, perhaps the little one could ask their superiors if something like this had happened before. And how to stop it.

“Oh, um, well its kinda complicated. It’s more like a military structure. I can’t tell you a lot about it, it's a little hush hush, but there are people above me in rank who end up in some weird circumstances.” Rin retracted her servo and seemed to be looking anywhere, but at him. “One time some girl got caught up in a mission where she ended up marrying a giant, fire breathing turtle.”

“You should ask your superiors if something like this has happened before to your kind. Having some kind of neural link with another unconscious being.” Pause. “What is a turtle and a girl?” He quirked a brow down at her.

“Oh, yeah you are probably not familiar with human concepts. Um, lets see… A turtle is an small creature, typically green and with a hard shell on its back. A girl is what I am.” Gesturing to her body. “Typically the feminine, childbearing, side of my race. The other side is called men, males, or guys. There are exceptions to this rule, but it might be a bit much for our humans 101 lesson going on here. Does your race have something like that?”

“Yes, though we call ourselves mechs and femmes. I am a mech.” Mirroring her movement to his own chassis. She looked at him and with a eyes of a small youngling asked.

“Tell me more about your kind.”

“Why are you suddenly so curious?”

“Well, I mean, I know you’re real now, and look at you! You and your race must be amazing! And I want to get to know you even if we don’t get to see each other again.” She stared up at him expectantly. Her dark brown optics looked up at him with a sad stare. There was something about her expression that made him respond before he even gave it thought.

“Okay,” He almost startled himself, “but in return you need to tell me more about yourself and your kind.” It only seemed fare if he had to talk so did she.

“Deal!” She beamed up at him.

***

The two had talked for some time, mostly focusing on the basics of body parts and simple bodily functions. In the time they had been speaking Rin had chosen to imagine a swing for herself that hung from a tree she had used to explain plant life. Ratchet had stayed seated on the floor which was now a large patch of plant called grass. Under his servo it felt soft and calming.

“So your whole race is at war?” Rin asked as she kicked her peds- or, er, feet beneath her.

“As of now, yes. My team, the Autobots, are fighting against our enemy the Decepticons. Their leader wishes to kill ours and claim the title of Prime.” Rin’s face crumpled in confusion.

“What is a prime? Is it like a term for military leader or god?”

“No, not quite. Prime is a title given to one who is seen as worthy to be the leader of all Cybertron by our creator Primus. Only thirteen have ever been chosen, and the Autobot leader, Optimus, is one of them.” Ratchet said with a soft grin.

“Okay, so it’s kinda like a prophet?”

“Or what you described as a president.” Ratchet stretched his servos out expecting to hear the tale tell sound of his prolonged time bent over, but nothing came.

“Hmm. It seems like we don’t experience pain like we would in the real world.” He hummed.

“Yeah, though it’s almost more odd that we feel anything at all. With this being a dream you’d think we wouldn’t feel anything.” Rin began gaining height on her swing, kicking faster. At the peak of her swing coming up to the height of his eyes. “So what is this Optimus like? If he’s your leader and this chosen one he should be pretty unique.”

“Indeed, he is. He is a mech of great integrity, leadership, and strength. He is someone who I am honored to call friend, and allie.” Ratchet’s smile grew as he spoke. “Whoa, wait you’re friends with this guy?” Rin asked at the peak of he swing before dragging to a halt with her heels. “Does that mean you’re some high ranking medic? Or like the best Doctor of your race?”

“W-well no, there are not many medical bots around anymore so I was simply assigned to Optimus out of necessity.” A light blush had worked across his face plates at her praise. “I am a skilled medic, but I am far from the best.” Faces of lost comrades flashed in his mind as he looked down at his servos. “Perhaps if I were better, I could have done more.” Rin looked up at his darkening facial features. Getting up from her swing, she approached his lowered servos and grabbed one of his digits with both hands.

“Hey, I’m sure you’re doing the best you can. It’s war Ratchet, you can’t save everyone.”

“How would you know human? You are too soft to know the battlefield or the gruesome nature of war.” Ratchet said with a tip of venom in his voice. Her face went blank before she hid it behind the large finger she held.

“I know more that I would like to Doc.” Ratchet jumped at the cold icy tone of her voice. It was such a drastic swing from her comforting sing-songy inflections. “Small one what do you m-”

***

“Mean?” This time, a blaring alarm he set before recharge dragged him into consciousness. What had she meant? How could one so small begin to understand the loss involved in war? Then again… how old was the small human? She had said that she was in a military like group. He also knew very little about her race. For all he knew she was as old as him. But… She seemed to radiate energy like a youngling, excitedly absorbing all he had said about Cybertonians and her colorful explanation of her own kind. He thought she could be no older than Bumblebee. Ratchet laid on his berth for some time thinking of his new acquaintance before deciding he needed to get moving. He would ask her his all of these things his next recharge. He had work to do.


End file.
